Automobiles are subject to a variety of crash tests, including standard tests regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For example, these tests may be directed toward oblique impacts, i.e., impacts that occur at an angle of 10-50 degrees relative to a vehicle's trajectory. During the oblique impact, occupants of the vehicle move forward and laterally. As one example of an oblique impact test, a moving cart with a deformable barrier moves at 56 mph and impacts a stationary vehicle at a 15 degree angle with a 35% overlap.
Several types of information are measured during the oblique crash test, including airbag performance, test dummy reaction, etc. One type of measurement are the Brain Injury Criteria (BrIC) values during the oblique impact. The BrIC values characterize occupant movement. There remains an opportunity to design a system to absorb crash energy during the oblique impact.